Going Coastal

A little salt spray with that Pinot, Mademoiselle? Time to go coastal with us!! Good wine, the beach, the views, and – some great places to eat after a nice day of wine touring!

Stop #1 – Beauregard Winery.

Ryan Beauregard is the winemaker, and produces food-friendly wines in a more Burgundian style than most. With several generations of roots in the Santa Cruz Mountains, this surfer dude turned winemaker has taken the family business to the next level of cool! Try the wonderful Bald Mountain Chardonnay or one of the many nice Pinots, and much more. Then it’s the perfect time (and place) to picnic under the redwoods.

Stop #2

Next we visit the Surf City Vintner’s complex for a couple of tastings there. First is Silver Mountain, where the focus is on Pinots and their proprietary red blend, Alloy. On weekdays they often open privately for our groups of 15+, and on weekends, we can bring slightly smaller groups. It’s a cozy Tasting Room and the staff are very friendly and knowledgeable.

Stop #3

The next stop is a short walk up the street, to visit MJA for a tasting there. They have a huge line-up of wines, so we curate the tasting ahead of time to provide our groups with the best of the best. Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Merlot, several different Cabernets, etc, etc. MJA owns vineyards in St. Helena, so they are one of our few local wineries that make a Merlot or Cab using their own estate-grown grapes. They also have a big connection to Hawaii and one of their specialties is chocolate-covered Kona coffee beans – the final tasting is a pairing of their Napa Cabernet with those amazing chocolatey-coffee beans!

Peas on toast at Bantam Restaurant, Santa Cruz

Dinner out

If your group is over ten people, then we recommend Aquarius at the Dream Inn. Wonderful views of the ocean, Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, and the Santa Cruz Wharf – you are right there overlooking the sand and water! For groups of ten or smaller, then Bantam is a great foodie place with an ever-changing menu.